In the “Plan for a Social Bridge Renovation”, which party leader Janine Wissler presented on Monday and reported on by “Ippen-Media”, the party is demanding 15 billion euros annually for the construction and renovation of bridges. “The federal government has been delaying the urgently needed renovation of traffic bridges for years – at the expense of safety. It cannot be the case that bridges in an ‘inadequate’ condition continue to have to be used because the FDP is turning off the investment tap,” says the paper.
The Left is not satisfied with the nine billion euros announced by Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) next year for federal highways and bridges. Of the over 130,000 bridges in Germany, tens of thousands are in need of renovation. The party wants to finance the additional investments, among other things, by moving away from the so-called company car privilege, i.e. the tax relief for company cars. The Left expects an annual increase of around five billion euros. Wissler and her party are also calling for the introduction of a kerosene tax for aircraft. Unlike other modes of transport, kerosene in commercial air transport is exempt from energy tax and therefore enjoys a tax privilege. “The exemption of air transport from energy tax caused a tax loss of around 8.3 billion euros,” write the Left in their position paper. The Left hopes that the investments will create new, local jobs and “ecologically sustainable” relief from traffic. During the construction and renovation period, the party insists on widespread and free public transport. “A social bridge renovation doesn’t just think about concrete and technology, but also about people and the environment. It creates fair jobs, promotes sustainability, reduces traffic and ensures that the costs are distributed fairly,” the party said in the paper.
